Who is Shigeru Ishiba? Japan’s next prime minister and Fumio Kishida’s successor

Shigeru Ishiba won the race to become Japan’s next prime minister on Friday. He will now succeed Japan’s current premier Fumio Kishida as the leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the nation’s next prime minister.
The elections on Friday saw a close fight between Shigeru Ishiba and hardline nationalist Sanae Takaichi in a run-off vote. It was seen as one of the most unpredictable leadership elections in decades, with a record nine candidates in the fray.
After Shigeru Ishiba’s victory, Kishida was quoted by Nikkei Asia as saying, “… We must ask the new LDP president, Mr. Shigeru Ishiba, to create a strong cabinet with his executive power, decisiveness, and ability to create policies, and produce results.”
Shigeru Ishiba is a veteran lawmaker and former Defence Minister of Japan. He is the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP ) which has ruled Japan for almost all of the post-war era.
Shigeru Ishiba has been a long-time aspirant for the Prime Minister’s post. It was Shigeru Ishiba’s fifth attempt to lead the party. His previous four failed bids to lead LDP include a 2012 try against his arch-rival Shinzo Abe.
The 67-year-old banker-turned-politician has mainly worked on security issues and the revival of Japan’s rural communities in his 38-year political career, Nikkei Asia reported.
Shigeru Ishiba, whose politician father was at one point a Cabinet minister, grew up in the remote rural region of Tottori. He read law at university and became a banker before entering politics, winning his first parliamentary seat with the LDP in 1986, aged 29, news agency AFP reported.
During his long career, the father of two has held several key posts including LDP secretary general and minister for agriculture. He is a former defence minister who entered parliament in 1986 after a short banking career.
Ishiba was reportedly sidelined by outgoing prime minister, Fumio Kishida, becoming instead a dissenting voice in the party. He rebelled on policies including the increased use of nuclear energy and has criticised his party for not allowing married couples to use separate surnames.
According to Reuters, Ishiba supports some socially progressive policies like changing the law to allow married couples to use separate surnames, a move opposed by Takaichi and other more conservative LDP lawmakers.
Ishiba has called for an Asian version of the NATO security bloc to counter threats from China and North Korea, but he is said to have been careful with his words concerning China.